Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, hosted the leaders of the Western Balkans partners on Tuesday in Brussels for a working dinner.
The High Representative and the Western Balkans leaders exchanged views on EU-Western Balkans relations and developments in the region. They expressed regret over the decision of the European Council not to open accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania and agreed that the EU integration of the Western Balkans continues to be a key strategic objective, in the shared interest of the European Union and the region. In this context, the High Representative and the Western Balkans leaders discussed what has jointly been done and achieved over the past five years. They also reflected on the shared challenges ahead.
Western Balkans partners again confirmed their strong commitment to the EU perspective, to the reforms it entails, first and foremost for the benefit of their citizens, as well as to regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations.
Serb member of the BiH Presidency Milorad Dodik says that differences in views of BiH Presidency members were confirmed at the meeting with Johannes Hahn, the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, in Brussels today without important conclusions or mandatory items for BiH.
Dodik said that BiH Presidency Chairman Željko Komšić and Presidency Member Šefik Džaferović emphasized that they were for BiH’s path to the EU and NATO, while he stressed he was only for the cooperation concerning the European path.
“We discussed the situation in both the EU and BiH, briefed each other and confirmed the difference in the BiH Presidency’s views on BiH. The need to focus on European integration and to avoid setting conditions was emphasized,” Dodik told RTRS.
The programme of the visit foresees the BiH Presidency members attending a farewell dinner hosted by Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and vice-president of the Commission.
Dodik previously said that forming the authorities at BiH level was likely to be a topic at a farewell dinner with Mogherini and other high-level meetings in Brussels.
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